Since it was "my day" today, Lynnie drove us down to Carlsbad Cavern National Park. By using the mighty Geezer Pass, we entered at no cost. After conferring with a ranger in the Information Center, we decided to take the original entrance route into the caverns. This is a mile long, paved path that descends seven-hundred-seventy five feet into the earth. The site was discovered by a cowboy named White, while he was riding in the area. He actually explored the site himself with ropes and ladders fashioned from wood found in the area. The original tours, when they started, were four to five hours long and were by means of steps constructed of wood. You climbed down and then you climbed up. Today, there's an elevator that returns you to the surface. It was quite an experience for us. We continued on to the Big Room and walked through it. It' surface is the equivalent of twelve football fields in area. The sites were amazing and impressed us more than these humble words can say.

I took several pictures, but due to the type of lighting, only a few actually look as the caverns do. You must come here to really know what it's like. Lewis and Clark Caverns is good, but this place is far different and HUGE.

After lunching in the Sooby, Lynn driving, found a gravel, scenic drive, some ten miles in length. It was exciting and very scenic. The road was rough, but Lynnie excelled in her driving. My dad, Oscar, the ol' Jeep Driver would be proud of the way she handled the car. I've included a few photos of that area also. When we left the Caverns, the temperature was in the seventies with mild winds. As we descended, so did the temperature. Winds increased and buffeted the car as we neared town. By the time we finished our shopping, it was fifth-nine degrees with harsh winds, up to thirty five miles per hour in gusts. As I write this it is forty-one and dropping quickly with the winds continuing. My weather app, on the phone, shows a Winter Storm Warning, with forecast lows in the teens. Man, that ain't right. When will we find consistent warmth? Perhaps if we venture on to Central America... Our plan to go to Monahans Sandhill Park in Texas may have to wait a while until things settle down. Oh, we have the time...